BEAUTY IS A BEAST

So my niece just completed her first hair braiding session. And for those of you (presumably of the female persuasion but hey, it happens) who have ever been privy to said occasion, you'll know that it is a memory that works itself out more as one to be forgotten than to be cherished.

A harrowing ordeal looked at in one regard? yes, but looked at in another? Lets.....

...Ethnomathematics!

According to wiki, it is the study of the relationship between mathematics and culture and encyclopedia.com harps on about it being the... (ah, I'm not in the mood to wade through all those search results).

Basically, it's that kinder side of mathematics which concerns itself with the study of the external products of the internal mathematical workings of the human beast. Mathematics is ubiquitous, it says, and more diversely manifested than a protractor or divider would have you think.

As one delves deeper into this neck-cocking, brow-folding field, one discovers a thrilling world of delightful words and afro centric friendly mathematical madmen. Tesselation, and knot-theory, and natural algorithms, and Ronald Eglash, Mr. Fractals himself. I didnt know braids had so much to offer...just listen to this:

                         

Ahhh sweet harmony...those two beasts, beauty & mathematics, coming together in quantitative matrimony. Who woulda thunk it!

NB: So google worthy: J.D. Okhai Ojeikere